Suitors and Suits
by Demon Flame
Summary: AU. Rogue, a mercenary nomad with her mother, moves to New Orleans with the intention of taking a much needed break from working, only to find two men bound by old fashioned laws who fancy themselves her suitors. On the upside, her tan has never looked better.
1. Chapter 1

It was a searing hot summer day in New Orleans. The kind of heat that is so heavy with humidity that the instant you step out of the cool interior of your home, your clothes are already sticking to you and the deodorant you put on is instantly rendered useless. But then, that's the price of living in Louisiana with its muggy summer afternoons.

Of course those not familiar with the climate would be miserable unless they were sprawled out naked under the AC. The natives were the ones who were out roaming the streets and enjoying the day as only they could. Others just couldn't understand how they not only survived, but thrived in such conditions. Though to be fair, the inhabitants of the swamps couldn't understand how those further north could enjoy the harsh winters they had come to associate with Dante's seventh circle of hell, frozen lake and all.

Today just happen to be one of those famous sticky days with the sun bearing down and humidity so thick you could almost swim through it. Julian took a deep breath of the morning air and smirked when he heard a couple of tourists, who had already sweated through their clothes, complain about the temperature being well over a hundred before even ten in the morning. But that was life in the great city of New Orleans.

Julian and his father, Marius Boudreaux, Patriarch of the Assassin's Guild, were out in the Garden District on business. An ally of the Guild had once again returned to New Orleans and as Guild Master and Future Guild Master, it was only proper to pay a visit and welcome her back. After all, the mutant Mystique was a valuable ally to have no matter the circumstances.

The two Assassin's walked down the sidewalk amongst the old homes until the got to a green mansion that had been built antebellum. Hell, Raven had probably grown up in the home as a child for all he knew. He hadn't seen the shape shifter since he was a child but knew that her mutation afforded her the ability to regenerate her cells continuously. He had even seen records during his studies of her work with the Guild dating back to the 1800's. The patriarchs of both Guilds had been after her hand in marriage for years, though none were succesful, the reason being that she would produce mutant offspring with mutations valuable to the Guild.

Julian would not be trying his hand at wooing the woman who had probably been around longer than America had. When he found himself a wife, they would be on even footing with each other for the most part. He needed a woman capable of dealing with the worlds deadliest assassins but not one who would view herself superior to him as Mystique undoubtedly would.

Julian waited patiently on the grand porch of the mansion with his father. It wasn't a moment later that an older white woman with dark and grey hair answered the door. She was wearing a shapeless brown dress with an apron on signaling that she was the hired help.

"Yes'sur, may Ah help ya?" She had probably been a child from a poor family with little to no education and had most likely been with the family for years.

"Marius Boudreaux." He said in way of introduction. "Ah've come a callin' on Raven." The drawl that slipped from his lips made the old maid pause with a catch in her breath before she let them in and led them to the drawing-room. His grandfather had always said that you weren't a true southern gentleman unless you could make a woman of any age or status pause when you spoke to them.

The room was tastefully decorated and Marius took a seat in a high-backed, gold and creme arm-chair. Julian decided to stand by one of the floor length windows so as to view the garden in the courtyard. Having a greek revival mansion like this in the city was different from the plantation mansion he lived in out by the swamps.

A moment later Raven Darkholme walked into the room in her true blue form. Thankfully, she was wearing pants as her dresses tended to have high slits. He had even heard of instances where she ran around fighting naked and only just barely covering up the important parts with her mutation.

Marius stood and greeted Raven with a peck on her cheek. "Raven, ya look ravishin' as always."

Raven allowed him a polite smile. "Always the charmer."

"Product o' my raisin', Ah'm afraid." He turned and gestured to Julian who offered a polite half-bow to the mutant woman. "Ya remember mon fils, Julian."

Raven turned and gave him a nod of acknowledgment and an appraising once over. "Yes I remember. I believe you were ten last time I was in town, around Anna-Marie's age."

That's right, she had a daughter. He tried to dredge up memories of the scrawny skunk haired girl who had given his sister Bella a black eye. He had only known the girl for a month or so maybe, but all the memories he had of the girl was of her and Bella fighting like two wild cats over a slab of meat. Hopefully the two women wouldn't pick up where they left off.

He could hardly bear Bella's bitching as it was now. If she wasn't complaining about not being treated like a princess, then it was about Remy LeBeau. Gambit was the adopted mutant son of Jean-Luc LeBeau and a complete and total pain in Julian's ass. His only redeeming quality was that he wanted nothing to do with Belladonna or her delusions of marriage.

"That's right, she's of the age of marrying now." Marius said smoothly bringing his attention back to the present.

Julian should have known better. Ever since he had turned twenty-one four years ago his father had been on the hunt for potential wives for him. So far nothing worthwhile had turned up, not that he had been trying especially hard.

Even now, in this modern-day and age, the Guilds still held to the old ways of marriage and courting. Sure there was a certain dramatic flare to it that Bella got excited about, but he never saw much point in all the effort of it. He was a good-looking man by anyone's standards and had never had a problem getting a date in or out of the Guild. But tradition dictated that he choose a wife that was approved by his father and his father would never approve of a civilian woman.

Raven smiled. "Going after my daughter now?"

Marius returned the smile shamelessly. "She is unattached?" Marius was showing the side of himself that was reserved for certain people only, people who he needed to be on the good side of. Mystique just happened to be one of those few people. Personally, Julian prefered his normal cold and calculating persona that was befitting of the Patriarch of the Assassin's.

"She is." Raven conceded. "But she is not of your, or any other Guild and will not recognize your traditions."

Marius waved off the caution. "She knows o' our customs an' 'll be fine." He said and then glanced out to the hall where the maid had rushed by with a stack of linens. "Is ya fine daughter here taday, or is she out an' about enjoyin' the sights?"

Raven finally took a seat on a love seat and both men took this as their cue to take seats themselves across from her on the couch.

"Neither, I'm afraid. She won't arrive until Thursday. She's been in Madripoor for the last few weeks."

A different maid came in with the same shapeless dress and apron. This one was younger, maybe in her thirties, and carrying a tray of ice-cold sweet tea and lemon cookies. The woman's eyes continually strayed to him and he offered her a smirk that caused her to blush several shades before scampering out.

"Ahh!" Marius said brightly and thumped Julian on the leg. "She'll be jus' in time fo' the Annual Guild Ball. Ya are comin' aren' ya, Cher?"

"Yes, I received the invitation this morning." She said before pouring both men a glass of tea and then one for herself.

The Annual Guild Ball was held once a year and was a chance for the Guilds, their allies and clients to all come together and socialize and make new contacts. As much as Julian disliked the Thieves Guild and all its member's, he saw their use. People as a whole, were hesitant to hire assassins to do their dirty work. The Thieves drew clients in like flies to honey and thus the Assassin's were able to broaden their client list.

"Did you say Anna-Marie was in Madripoor?" Julian asked. "Rumor has it, that Viper has holed up there and SHIELD is gunning for her." As future Patriarch of the Assassin's, he needed to be up to date on the latest news of the underground.

Raven turned her yellow and black spotted eyes to him. "Yes, Anna-Marie is exceptionally good at gathering information that's best kept secret. Nick Fury occasionally likes to hire her to do things his agents can't."

"Ah, so ya fille mus' be a mutant too?" Marius said with delight. The prospect of his father trying to set him up with Anna-Marie just became a reality. The look on his face made it clear that Julian was expected to court this girl and bring her into the family to make lots of mutant children. "A telepath perhaps?"

Raven chuckled and set her glass of tea down. "Far worse I'm afraid. There are various measures one can take against a telepath, none of which will hold Anna-Marie back."

Just what the hell was this girls mutation? By the way Raven kept teasing Marius, it didn't look like she was going to tell any time soon. His father looked equally parts frustrated and delighted as he and Mystique continued to talk, he about her daughter while she would change the subject.

Julian snatched a cookie off the serving tray and took a bite. Hopefully Anna-Marie wasn't the same scrawny, hard-headed tom boy as she had been as a six-year-old. With any luck, she wouldn't be interested in him and they could part ways before his father got too many ideas about them in his head.

XxX

Remy glanced at the reflection of the glass of a local store front to see that he still had the blonde harpy stuck to his shoe. What would it take to get Belladonna to take a hint that he just wasn't interested in her. Sure they had played together as children, but one puberty hit she had lost her fucking mind.

Belladonna had started stalking him when they were teenagers until he turned eighteen while she was sixteen. Then, she had upped her game to murder, blackmail, sabotage and lies that no one believed. Thank God Julian and Marius didn't believe any of the times she tried to convince them she was pregnant with his child. That could have incited an all out war between the Guilds.

Remy of course understood her fascination with him, he was a good-looking guy, beautiful even as some had said. And she was a beautiful girl when her crazy wasn't showing, she could probably have any number of guys at her beck and call. But somewhere between playing tag in the swamps and Remy's first lay at thirteen she had snapped. Belladonna had got it in that pretty little head of hers that the two of them were destined to marry and unite their Guilds.

Everyone else was of the opinion that the Guilds were fine the way they were and that Bella needed therapy. Marius had actually sent her to a couple of psychiatrists but she had killed them all at some point. Remy had suggested she get a hobby or a boyfriend. Bella had then pulled out a binder completely devoted to their imaginary wedding and told him she wouldn't allow any man but him to touch her. Needless to say, Remy was thoroughly creeped out by the Assassin.

To make matters worse, the Annual Guild Ball was in a few days. Every year since they were twelve, Belladonna would follow him around like a lost puppy. This year promised to be no different. In fact, she had been such a hassle and embarrassment to her family last year, that he had been praying for weeks this year that she wouldn't be permitted to attend. Though chances of that were slim as she was the 'Assassin Princess' as she liked to remind everyone.

Remy turned down an ally before using the enhanced agility that his mutation afforded him to quickly scale the building and escape the clutches of a horny and crazed assassin. If he was as lucky as Henri always claimed he was, then Marius would marry her off to the first available suitor and he could finally wash his hands of her.

A/N

I have absolutely no self-control. I should probably be on Adderall or something but I'm not so y'all must suffer from my dysfunction that is fan fic ADHD. Its sad really, out of the 51 stories I have published only 25 are complete and most of them are one shots. Hopefully I'll get my shit together soon but I don't have very high hopes. Anyway please review the latest idea my brain spat out.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a long, grueling flight from the Pan Pacific and all Rogue wanted to do was go into hibernation like a grizzly. The mission Fury had hired her for had seemed like a piece of cake until she actually had to go up against Viper in combat. She was one nasty bitch and had actually bit her at one point during their fight. Other than Creed, what kind of heathen bit another person during a fight?

Rogue absent-mindedly rubbed her forearm where old bandages covered the wound and the long sleeves of her shirt covered her deadly skin. Viper had actually managed to leave pretty deep teeth marks that had required a few stitches, even through her long-sleeved shirt. Hopefully, Fury would file her fangs down, or better yet, pull all her teeth out with pliers.

The image of a toothless Viper trying to gum her prison food caused her to smirk.

The cab pulled to a stop in front of the address her mother had given her. The green mansion was one of the many homes Raven had across the world and Rogue had actually lived here for about a month when she was younger. The mere memory of the little brat who had called her Pepe because of the 'skunk stripe' in her hair and pulled her pig tails made her glower. If she never saw Belladonna Boudreaux again it would be too soon.

She paid the cabby and crawled out, hauling her rucksack out with her. Trudging up to the front door at a slow pace, she hadn't been this banged up in a long time and was feeling the effect of not only her fight with Viper and her Hydra minions, but also the thirty-seven hour flight that had landed in New Orleans. What she needed was a nap, or a coma, either way she would be sleeping for the foreseeable future.

She twisted the knob and walked through the front door to be greeted up the over priced elegance that was her mothers taste in interior decor. Mystique had always said that she took after her father more than she'd like. Rogue had actually never met her father, a wild man who went by the moniker of Wolverine, though she had heard plenty about him over the years.

Rogue glanced around the empty entry hall and caught sight of the stairs. She had forgotten that her room was on the third floor of the mansion and didn't look forward to the trek up there. On the other hand, Rogue turned her attention to the drawing-room off to her left, there was a perfectly good couch not ten feet from where she stood. So, dropping her rucksack in the middle of the floor she sluggishly made her way over looking like a zombie with the moans of the half dead to pull it off.

Rogue turned and sat on the arm of the couch before letting herself fall back into the firm, but comfortable cushions of the couch, her legs dangling over the arm. Her stiff joints and sore muscles relaxed as she took a deep breath, her eyes already drifting closed. Rogue turned her head to face the back of the couch when she couldn't properly fall asleep with the sun shinning through her eyelids, but even then it was too bright. She groped around above her head until she found a pillow and planted it over her face, using her arms over top of it to hold it in place.

And with that, Rogue drifted off into the land of dreams.

XxX

Remy stepped out of the car, following his father and brother up to the small mansion in the Garden District of New Orleans. It was a beautiful house full of the antebellum charm this city was famous for. Unfortunately, it housed the mutant Mystique. Now, he had never actually met the woman, the reason he was so ticked off about meeting her now was because he had been forced to follow along like a puppy.

Sure, he had responsibilities to the Guild to go on visits such as this, but that didn't mean he wanted to. He gave a long-suffering sigh as he came to stand on the porch with the other two men, Henri turned around to shoot a glare at him warning him to behave. Remy rolled his eyes as soon as he turned back around.

The door opened and they were ushered into the foyer by a plump older woman in an apron. The woman made to usher the three into the den to await Lady Darkholme when the woman herself walked in. Her blue skin was a sharp contrast from her bright yellow eyes and fire engine hair, she was mutant and proud.

"Jean-Luc." She nodded cordially before the two leaned into each other so he could place the custom kiss on her cheek.

"Raven."

Her black spotted eyes turned to Henri and then to Remy. "My, your boys have grown up fast. Last I saw of you two, you were running around with your cousins reeking havoc."

Henri chuckled good-naturedly because when their father stepped down, it would be up to him to maintain their out of Guild contacts. Remy, who would have no such responsibility, merely offered a polite smile if only to avoid a lecture.

"Let us move this to the drawing-room." Darkholme said and led them into the room to the left of the front door.

Since Remy was lagging behind the rest of them, he was the only one who saw the look of panic on the maid's face as they walked into the room. Finally turning to join the others he saw that they had stopped just inside the room. Leaning to the side told him why.

There was a pair of slim, denim covered legs wearing boots hanging over the couch. Not something he had expected to see. Remy glanced over to see that Jean-Luc looked amused while Darkholme looked annoyed.

"Am Ah ta assume that this is ya daughter, Anna-Marie?" Jean-Luc asked as he rocked back on the heels of his feet.

"Her flight wasn't supposed to land until tonight. I assume she caught an earlier connection and didn't bother to tell me." Mystique didn't look pleased to see her daughter sleeping in the room where she entertained guests.

Remy moved over to stand beside his brother instead of partially behind so that he could have a better look at her. Someone, probably the house keeper, had laid a thin throw over her and added to the fact that she was clutching a pillow over her head, it made it impossible to tell exactly what her body type was. The only part of her that wasn't covered by the pillow or throw were her legs, covered in jeans, her feet, covered in work boots, her forearms, covered in a long-sleeved shirt and her hands, covered in black leather gloves. Odd choice of dress for the indian summer that had gripped their fair state this year.

"Ah assume she is comin' ta the Ball this Saturday?" Jean-Luc asked and gave a meaningful glance to Remy.

Remy stared at him blankly pretending he didn't understand the meaning behind the look his father gave him. Ever since his twenty-first birthday two years ago his brother and father had been trying to set him up with women to marry. But he wasn't the marrying type, he was the love 'em and leave 'em type. God help him if he ever found himself in a relationship.

Mystique lifted one perfectly sculpted red eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're after Anna-Marie for your son too?"

Remy glanced down at the girl. If Jean-Luc was after her, then that meant she was of proper Guild marrying age. He wondered if she had her mother's coloring or even if she had the same mutation. Sleeping with a metamorph could be fun, it'd be like having a new girl every night. It sounded like a good idea, but there would undoubtedly be a down side to sleeping with a shape shifter as they were often too tricky for his liking.

"S'pose Marius an' Julian been by then?"Jean-Luc asked with a slight frown.

The two Guilds had never gotten along and the lesser ranks were often on the brink of a full-out war with each other if it weren't for the firm hands of their Patriarchs. How Jean-Luc and Marius managed to put up with them all was beyond him and it made him respect both Julian and Henri a little more for willingly taking on the role of guild master in training.

"Yes, Marius was here earlier in the week with his son." She said and moved out of the room, the men following her.

It had been odd talking about the girl as though she wasn't there when she had only been sleeping two feet away.

Remy slide a glance to Henri who was smirking smugly at him which he returned with a scowl. Henri hadn't been a fan of the old traditions until he and Mercy had met several years ago. Now, he was a firm believer that Remy would see the error of his way when the right girl came along. But that was the problem, to him, all the girl's were varying degrees of 'right'.

There was the right now girl who was perfect for a quick fuck up against the nearest wall. The right for tonight girl who would take him home for a couple of rounds before he would disappear before the rising sun. And then there was the right time girl who stayed on retainer and was always a good lay. There had never been a Mrs. Right though as Remy had every intention of being a bachelor for the rest of his days.

Mystique had led them out onto the patio that was part of the courtyard garden. The garden wasn't as big as the one at the LeBeau Mansion, but it was pretty just the same with its many rose and flower bushes. There was even a small pool near the back of the courtyard surrounded by greenery to make it look like some mystic pool that you would expect to see fairies flying around.

Raven took a seat in one of the wrought iron patio chairs and the LeBeau men followed suit. "So tell me 'bout ya fille. She still as scrappy as she was las' Ah saw her?" Jean-Luc asked as the house keeper from before brought out a tray of glasses and lemonade.

Mystique stopped the woman and told her to wake her daughter up and move her to her room before turning her attention to Jean-Luc. "Yes, she takes after her father for some inexplicable reason. The two have never met and it's almost as if he raised her." She said before serving the lemonade.

Jean-Luc chuckled at the apparent inside joke that he and Henri weren't privy to. Remy leaned forward to take his glass and took a sip. There really was no reason for him to be here other than to show him off to Mystique like a prized horse. He should have known better when Jean-Luc told him to change into something nicer than jeans and a tee-shirt.

"Tha's always the way, non?" He said amicably.

"It seems so."

Henri decided to speak up this time. "Ah don' remember meetin' Anna-Marie las' time ya were in town, is she a mutant like you?"

"Yes, though if you have any more questions about her mutation then you'll just have to wait until the ball to ask her." She said, hedging around the inquiry neatly.

While Remy couldn't care less about Anna-Marie or her secret mutation, both his brother and father took the hint with slight disappointment. For as long as Remy could remember, it had always been a race against the two Guilds to bring mutants with a supirior power into the family. He had heard Henri mention on the way over how the Assassin Patriarchs had been after Mystique for years. And now that her daughter was of proper marrying age it was time to try to marry her into the family.

He spent the next hour and a half listening as 'Raven' and Jean-Luc caught up with each other. Henri would throw his two cents in every now and then but Remy kept quiet, only answering when spoken to. He was sure he would get an ear full when they left but right now he couldn't bring himself to care. Remy was perfectly capable of choosing his own bed buddies and didn't need the assisstance of his family trying to set him up with someone more lasting.

Finally it was time to leave and as they walked across the front hall he glanced into the drawing-room to see the same pair of legs still hanging over the arm rest of the couch. He glanced at Mystique to see her glowering at the legs before she turned and finished escorting them out.

He was tempted to throw a card with a small charge into the room to give her a nasty wake up but decided against it. He was already walking on thin ice as it was with his father. He bid the metamorph a polite goodbye before following Henri and Jean-Luc to the car.

A/N

I do actually intend to finish my stories, I have the next chapter on most of them half way written. I work on them when I have time or when I really get in the mood for a particular story. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter so please review and let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

Rogue had received a thorough telling off for napping on the couch. Apparently, while she was sleeping, the King of Thieves himself and his two sons had shown up to see her acting like a hobo. Rogue had never understood her mother's attitude when it came to Guild leaders or king pins. At the end of the day they were still thieves and murderers no matter how they tried to glamour it up.

Not that Rogue was one to talk, Raven had trained her to be what she was today. She could kick just about anyone's ass because sometimes people needed a taste of their own medicine. There also wasn't anyone else on Earth who was better at gathering information than she was thanks in large part to her one of a kind mutation. Everyone wanted her to join their team or organization just like everyone wanted Mystique, but like her mother, she remained neutral and instead built up her contacts.

The worst part of maintaining said contacts was socializing with them. Some of them were pretty cool to hang around like Domino but then there were others like Sabertooth, who was also apparently her uncle. The point was, she didn't generally like to mix business with pleasure and her trip to New Orleans was supposed to be a vacation.

Rogue peered over her sunglasses at her mother who was currently blocking her sun. Waking up this morning, all she wanted was to lay out by the pool in the courtyard and work on her tan. It was going great until Raven had marched out to her.

"Yes?" She drawled out, throughly unpleased at the turn of events.

"You need a dress for the ball tomorrow night." She stated in that tone Rogue had come to associate with an impending lecture. "Do you have a dress?"

Rogue smirked. "Ah have lotsa dresses." Of course none of them would be appropriate for the ball which her mother knew perfectly well.

Mystique raised one perfectly arched brow that accurately displayed just how unamused she was. "Get dressed, we'll go down to that boutique I told you about in the Quarter."

Rogue gave a long-suffering sigh and rose from her lounge chair. As much as she liked dressing up and going out, she hated shopping with her mother who was always full of criticism. Not everyone could shape shift into their perfect dress for every occasion. Rogue wasn't even sure if her mother had any real clothes.

Three hours later found Rogue standing on a stool while a seamstress poked her with pins. She sent a scathing glare to the woman who returned it ten fold and told her to mind herself and not move. One more poke and Rogue was going to bunt her through the window like a football.

The dress she had eventually decided on was a pretty midnight blue color with silver flecks of glitter right in the fabric giving off the impression that the night sky, with all its stars, had been wrapped around her. Tomorrow night she would pair it with long white opera gloves and a pair of silver three-inch heels the sales woman had picked out.

She would look gorgeous, not that it mattered it the frown on her mothers face was anything to go by. Mystique circled her like a shark would circle a wounded man in open waters. She had always been like this, so critical of Rogue and everything she did. The complaints and criticism had gotten to her for a while when she was a child, but these days she just took what she said with a grain of salt and rolled her eyes.

It infuriated Mystique to no end.

"When can we pick the dress up?" She asked the seamstress who had finally finished pinning the gown up. It had to be let out in the bust and taken in at the waist and her mother was paying extra for it to be done by tomorrow.

"At noon." The woman said while she helped Rogue slip out of the dress, mindful of her skin.

Rogue counted herself lucky that she was born in a time where mutants were accepted. She had seen her mother's memories of when she was a child and mutants had been hated and feared. The images and nightmares she got from that time were horrifying. She had been taught in her studies that the tide of mutant favor had changed during the two world wars were mutants had stepped up to fight for their country along side their human brethren.

Humans and mutants still disagreed occasionally but the fear was gone for the most part. It allowed the little girl down the street with bone growing out of her face to play with the other kids on the street. There were still those who sought to stir up trouble like Magneto, Mystique's one time lover, who believed that mutants had the right to rule over non-mutants. Of course, there were an overwhelming number of mutants and humans who strongly disagreed with this. Lucky for Rogue that Mystique didn't see eye to eye with the megalomania and left him, her rebound being Wolverine.

"Very well." She said and started talking prices while Rogue went to go change.

She had opted for shorts as Louisiana was hotter than hell, and thrown a pair of nude pantyhose on under so as to protect those around her from her deadly mutation. A white tube top with matching white lace attached to the top kept her covered and cool. It was difficult to love hot southern weather when you had a mutation like hers and needed to keep covered.

When Rogue returned it was to see her mother inspecting her manicure and the seamstress was walking into the back with a glower on her face. Her mother tended to have that effect on most everyone who's butt she wasn't kissing.

They walked out of the shop together but separated at the car. Mystique had errands to run that Rogue didn't care to tag along on. Instead, since she was already out, she wanted to explore the city and grab a bite to eat. So with a wave to her mother who half-heartedly returned it, she walked down the side-walk enjoying the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter.

A jazz band danced down the street, playing their instruments. A man with a dark tan and playing the trumpet gave her a wink before dancing on down the street. She laughed and continued to stroll down the street, taking in all New Orleans had to offer.

She eventually found herself across from Jackson's Square and decided it was time for lunch. _Cafe Pontalba_ looked promising so Rogue walked in and took a seat near one of the windows. She watched the people through the window as the enjoyed themselves while she waited for her waitress to surprise her with lunch. It ended up being a po boy and Abita, a local Cajun beer. All and all it was pretty good and then she was on her way again.

She had stopped on the other side of the Square to admire an artist as he painted the busy street in his view. It was a beautiful rendering full of the excitement that could only be found in New Orleans.

Rogue was about to move on when she felt a kid siddle up beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it was a boy who couldn't have been older than fifteen with handsome features and mouse brown hair.

He wasn't particularly close to her person at all, and if Rogue wasn't who she was than she never would have noticed his subtle movements. Rogue shifted and turned her head to fully look at the boy.

"Don' even think about it." She said.

There was a brief flash of panic that crossed his face before he turned to face her. He wasn't dressed like an urchin that needed to steal to survive. He looked like he came from a good family, such as the LeBeau's maybe. Probably.

"Ah don' know whatcha talkin' 'bout femme." He said, sounding successfully offended.

Rogue smirked and produced the compact wallet she carried with her when she went sightseeing. It mostly held credit cards with only about two hundred dollars in cash. His eyes widened ever so slightly when her wallet was back in her possession. The boy looked like he was ready to bolt.

"Don' worry about it." She waved off his concern. "Though if you want a good mark, ya might try that big fella." She pointed behind him to a large man with an even larger wife. Both were dressed in nice clothing and the woman was wearing diamond earrings.

The boy turned back around to face her with a sheepish look. "Merci, an' desole 'bout that."

She waved him off and turned to go home. The sun was setting and the Thieves were out in their element. It was better if she got back home before they tried to rob her blind.

A/N

Still working on other fic's too, I promise.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

Imagine Rogue's dress to being that of Anastasia's in the princess movie with choker and matching bracelet too when she went to the ballet.

Rogue grabbed a champagne flute off the tray of a passing waiter before making her way up to the second deck of the river boat. Her mother had splintered off from her as soon as they stepped on deck with the instructions to smile and mingle. That worked until one repugnant, over weight man started staring indecently at her chest. After that, she decided to get away from the majority of the party guests until the docked in about an hour.

She walked around the deck, avoiding the men and women inside and watched as they sailed up the Mighty Mississippi to where the Oak Alley Plantation waited for them all. It had been years since she had been back in the south, hell, it had been nearly five years since she had been back in the country. There was just something about being here that made her heart feel whole again because there was nowhere else on Earth like this and she should know as she had looked.

Rogue looked up from her musings to see a middle-aged man in a tuxedo walk out on to the deck next to her. He turned his head toward her and smiled, showing yellowing teeth to match the gold cap with the diamond in it. He looked like he would be more at home on the street keeping his whores in line than on a river boat on its was to a ball.

"Hello there beautiful." He said with a crisp northern accent that she couldn't place. He walked closer to her and leaned against the railing of the upper deck in an attempt to look suave. He failed miserably as the only thing she saw was a skeevy old man who was attempting to flirt with her.

She glanced away from him in a clear signal that she wasn't interested in anything he had to offer. "Nice night out." So he was a stupid skeevy old man.

Rogue took a drink out of her flute and turned away from him. That was a big mistake because as soon as she did his hand was on her ass and squeezing. Her jaw locked as she ground her teeth together in a half-hearted attempt to calm herself. Nope, not working.

She turned toward him with narrowed eyes to see him staring at her chest. A quick glance around told her no one was looking. So without a second thought she reached forward and slammed his head against the railing before flipping him over the side of the deck and into the Murky Mississippi below.

She took another sip of her champagne before turning to move to the other side of the deck. However, she stopped when she saw a familiar mousey haired teen in a tux staring at her with his mouth hanging open. It seemed that the little thief she had met yesterday was higher up on the food chain than she had thought and he seemed frozen to the spot.

Below she could hear yelling but ignored it as she regarded him. The chances of him relaying this story to someone who would tell her mother were slim. Maybe. But just to be sure...

"Evenin', sugar." She said, her voice dripping honey sweet.

That seemed to snap him out of his daze. "Ah-Ah was comin' ta help ya." He said nervously, his cheeks staining pink. "Ya know, fo' no' turnin' me in yesterday."

What a little sweet heart.

"Ah told ya, don' worry about it." She dismissed the incident yesterday, Lord knew she had done it enough herself.

He nodded and scooted closer to the railing to peer over the edge. Rogue didn't bother and instead took a sip of her champagne. At this rate she would be drunk before they got the to Plantation.

"Ya seen a fille wit' skunk hair 'round anywhere?" She heard a squeaky voice that sounded like it belonged to a cartoon character ask. The voice was vaguely familiar and muffled by the live jazz band and distance, but she recognized when it said the hated nickname of 'Pepe' a moment later.

She had been hoping that someone had locked her up in an asylum so she wouldn't have to deal with her.

She looked back over to the boy to see that he was shuffling nervously from one foot to the other and a brilliant idea struck her. "Ah could still use a rescue." She said gaining his attention.

Rogue moved forward and looped her arm in his, leading him back inside to the small dance floor. He seemed to catch on and his face brightened as he took the lead. Rogue glanced over his shoulder to see a skinny blonde woman in a revealing pink dress talking to an older couple.

"So," Rogue started. "Ya gotta name?"

He jumped slightly at the twirled around the dance floor gracefully. "Etienne Marceaux." He said a louder than he probably meant judging by his wince.

She smiled at him. "Anna-Marie Darkholme, or Rogue." She had always preferred Rogue to Anna-Marie.

His eyes lit up with interest. "Does that mean ya a mutant?" He asked, seemingly losing his shyness. Etienne blushed at his blunt question. Well, most of it.

"Yeah, mine's in my skin." She told him. "So don' touch it if ya don' want me ta know all ya dirty secrets." She sent him a wink and his whole face flushed red. Exactly what had he been thinking?

"So ya like a telepath then?" He asked, keeping the conversation flowing.

"Much worse Ah'm afraid." She said donning a mock look of sympathy for a moment. "When Ah make skin contact with someone, Ah imprint their entire being ta myself. Their memories, physical abilities an' powers if the got'em." She explained. "Ah'm told it's quite uncomfortable."

"Tha's amazin'!" He said with large blue eyes.

She shrugged. It was a pretty cool power, but it sucked not being able to control it. "Wish Ah could turn it off every once in a while." She muttered.

He seemed to realize what it meant and shut his mouth.

"So what about you?" She said changing the subject. "What's it like bein' a thief for the Guild?"

"Oh, well, Ah'm still in trainin'." He said and blushed. If anymore blood went to his head then she was sure he would pass out. "Jean-Luc's my Oncle, so Ah get ta come ta these events when only Master Thieves are supposed ta."

"Ah don' usually come ta these things myself but Ah got inta town Thursday an' my mother insisted Ah come." She said fighting the impulse to roll her eyes. She spotted Mystique in a white evening gown that glittered with all the hand sown crystals in it. She nodded to the left of the room where her mother was walking. "There she is now."

Etienne turned to see her mutant mother in her blue skinned glory. "Tha's so cool!" He said. "Wha' can ya mere do? Bench press a bus?"

Rogue chuckled. "She's a shape shifter." She said as the dance ended and another one began.

At the end of their second dance, Rogue decided it was time to move on. She looked toward Etienne who was maybe about an inch taller than her. When he got older he would be a real looker and have all the girls clamouring to him with his sweetness.

"Thanks fo' the dance, Sugar." She said and blew him a kiss before disappearing into the crowd.

XxX

Remy looked up when Mystique approached the group. The shape shifter was wearing a white dress that hugged her curves and had several men staring after her. She had a confidence about her that few people ever achieved.

"Ah, Raven!" Jean-Luc said, moving back so as to make space beside him for her to join them. "How are ya enjoyin' ya'self so far?"

"The party is lovely." She said graciously.

Jean-Luc beamed as he was always one to hear praise. "An' where is ya daughter tanight?"

That's right, Remy reminded himself, Jean-Luc was intent on setting him up with Mystique's mutant daughter. He glanced around but didn't see anyone who might be genetically related to the blue woman in front of him. Maybe she left town and spared him the misery of being pushed in her direction.

"Let's see." She said and looked surveyed the room. "Ah! There she is on the dance floor."

Jean-Luc and Remy's Uncle Belize. "Tha's my boy Etienne she's dancin' wit'." His uncle said with a smirk.

"Poor boy look love struck." Jean-Luc said and both men chuckled.

Remy, who had his back to the small dance floor, turned to get a look at the girl who would undoubtedly be shoved in his face for her usefulness. It took him only a moment to find his cousin who looked like cupid had shot him in the ass with one of his arrows. He had good reason to look the way he did because the woman in his arms was a goddess.

She was maybe a little taller than average, or it could be she was wearing heels, either way he didn't care. She had beautiful pale skin with a rosy glow on her cheeks that he could see from half-way across the room. There was a stripe of white in her auburn hair that was pinned up in a bun, either an odd dye job or a physical sign of her mutation.

The woman wasn't the type of pretty that required constant attention like some of the runway models he had slept with. She seemed to have an effortless type of beauty that made her look as gorgeous dressed up as she probably would in sweat pants. Yeah, he wouldn't mind being pushed in her direction.

The dance between the angle and his cousin ended, she blew him a kiss and disappeared in the crowd leaving Etienne looking dazed. Poor boy was so damn shy he wondered how he mustered up the courage to ask a woman like her to dance in the first place.

He watched as Etienne seemed to shake himself from the daze and look around for someone familiar. He spotted Remy and his uncle and father and walked over, unable to stop the smile on his face. Remy smirked as his fifteen year old cousin came to stand beside him.

"Fin' ya'self a fille?" Jean-Luc asked causing all three men to chuckle and Etienne's face to light up red.

"Ah - she -" Etienne floundered.

"Where did ya muster up the nerve ta ask such a fine femme ta dance." Belize joked. "Ya been hangin' 'round Remy too long."

"Ah met her yesterday!" He blurted out his face so red Remy wondered how his heart was still pumping. If at all possible his face grew darker with blush. "Ah tried ta pick pocket her bu' she caught me. Then Ah saw her out on the deck an' some homme was botherin' her so Ah wen' over but she - " Etienne stopped and glanced toward Mystique. "But she already sent him on his way. Then she pulled me on the dance floor." He explained quickly.

The men laughed again while Mystique smirked with an indulgent roll of her eyes. Remy glanced around again for the woman but didn't see her. He'd be sure to save a dance for her when they all finally got to the ball. After all, it's what his father would want.


	5. Chapter 5

As fate would have it, when they finally docked there were horse-drawn carriages waiting for them to take them all to the Oak Alley Plantation. Rogue had lost Mystique in the hustle and bustle of everyone disembarking the river boat and so, was shoved into a carriage at random by one of the escorts.

A masculine hand was held out to her from the interior of the carriage and she took it as the man helped her inside. As she took her seat she looked up to see an older man with sandy blonde hair was the one who had helped her. He looked familiar but Rogue couldn't place his face anywhere.

"Anna-Marie Darkholme, is dat you, fille?" Well he knew her and the man beside him recognized the name. He looked almost identical to the older man and could very possibly be his son. The third man, who was seated next to her was such a dark black that he almost blended in with the shadows.

She raised her eyebrows up, desperately trying to place his face. He was obviously from New Orleans with that distinctive accent of his. She knew Jean-Luc was blonde but it didn't feel right. "Marius Boudreaux?"

His eyes lit up to something that she wouldn't have expected from an Assassin, let alone the Patriarch for the Guild. That must mean the handsome man beside him was his son Julian.

"So ya do remember!" He clapped.

She offered him a small smile. "Jus' barely, Ah was six las' time Ah saw ya."

He nodded and gave a hard pat to the man beside him. "If ya remember me, then certainly ya remember mon fils, Julian?" Rogue had the sinking suspicion that she was being buttered up. But to what purpose, had yet to be revealed.

She turned her eyes to who now had been confirmed as Julian. He was handsome indeed with a long build and broad shoulders and sharp features. He'd come a long way from that skinny kid she could hardly remember. "Not as well as Belle, Ah'm afraid."

"Tha's right, ya two were thick as thieves las' time ya were here." He said rubbing his chin.

They were more like archenemies in shrunken form who often engaged in battles to the death. Marius missed her grimace but Julian didn't and smirked.

"Ah heard from ya mere that SHIELD hires ya out occasionally." He broached.

She was bound by contract not to reveal any of SHIELDs more protected secrets upon pain of lecture from Nick Fury himself. But this was talking shop, perhaps he wanted to get an idea of her skill set before he considered hiring her for a job.

"Yes, Ah'm very good at acquiring information and silently takin' jus' about anyone down." She explained. "This last assignment, Fury sent me ta Madripoor to find Viper and get the location of a few stolen SHIELD weapons she had hidden."

Marius face lit up with interest as he nodded. "An' how'd tha' go? Gris Gris here came across her once a few years ago an' she nearly killed him." He nodded to the black man sitting beside her.

Rogue reached up and rolled down one of her long white gloves to reveal the still healing teeth marks that green haired bitch had imbedded in her forearm. "She bit me." Her voice was full of disdain.

All three men leaned forward to get a look at the teeth marks, some with the stitches still in them. Gris Gris whistled as he leaned back and Rogue tugged her glove back in place. "E'ryone say wha' a chienne she i' bu' no one say how she bite." His accent almost too thick for her to understand, she nodded. There hadn't been anything about her tendency to bite in the file Fury had given her.

"Ya mere neva said wha' ya mutation was." Marius said. Rogue found that odd as her mother was always boasting about her abilities.

"Absorbtion." She said and then clarified because her mutation was so unique she was the only one. "It's in my skin, ine lil' touch an' everythin' about you is mine. Ya memories, physical abilities an' mutation. The memories stay which makes me the queen o' crash courses, but the other two fade after a while."

Marius looked like he might explode in excitement and is was very off-putting to everyone else. Though, to be fair, Gris Gris was probably just nervous being so near to her now that he knew her mutation.

The Guild Leader seemed to realize the unease he was causing and calmed himself. "Why don' ya come by the Guild tomorrow, Ah got a job that could use yer touch."

Rogue smirked at the pun and agreed, no doubt her mother would be thrilled. The ride continued for another minute or so before pulling to a stop by the front gates. Marius was the first to step out and once again held out his hand for her to help her down. She accepted it and stepped down.

She stopped short after when she saw that all the oak trees that lead up to the mansion had been wrapped in white string lights. It was the kind of beautiful you could only find in these parts.

"Belle, ain' it, petite?" Julian, who had been quiet the whole carriage ride asked as he came to stand next to her. She just smiled and nodded her head. "Please allow me ta escort ya ta the mansion?" He asked holding his arm out like a true southern gentleman.

Rogue smirked and took it.

XxX

Julian had been pleasantly surprised when it turned out that Anna-Marie was the one who they shared a carriage with. He had expected some snotty little girl nearly identical to his sister. What he got was a beautiful woman with a mutation that made her more valuable than Belladonna ever was.

Don't get him wrong, he loved his sister to an extent. But he just couldn't deal with her Gambit mania any longer. Not to mention her grander and delusion of skill. She was sub par at best, her only redeeming feature to the Guild were the eggs of potential useful assassins she carried within her womb.

On days she behaved and didn't act like a psychotic child, he would think of betrothing her to Luke Toussaint who was an up and coming assassin, trained by Gris Gris himself. The man had a special skill with poison daggers and had had an eye on Belle fora few years now. Then were the days where she stalked Remy LeBeau and run about the Guild telling anyone who would listen about her plans of marriage to the thief. On those days he fantasized about placing her in a chemical coma and eventually using her eggs to spawn off useful assassins.

From his, so far, brief encounter with Anna-Marie, she didn't seem the same type as Belle at all, though he would keep watch incase she was hiding her cray. He couldn't let more insanity penetrate the Broudeaux family line.

When she linked her arms with his he was pleasantly pleased with the way her body fit with his. Anna-Marie was shorter than Belle with wider hips and a larger bosom. The wide hips would be could for birthing healthy, to term children while her breasts would be for fun. A vision of slipping her gown off crossed his mind causing him to smile. If this woman proved to be sane and of sound judgment, then she would most definitely make a woman worthy of courting.

When they finally entered the mansion, Julian lead the beautiful woman on his arm to the dinning room where dinner would be served shortly. unfortunately, guests were assigned to the various tables around the room. Being the Crown Prince to the Assassin's meant that he, his father, sister and LeBeau and his son's would all be seated at the same table meant for the two Guilds.

Anna-Marie was likely to be sat with her mother at any of the round tables around the room. A beauty such as she would likely attract many a young men requesting her for a dance or two, most notably Gambit. Remy LeBeau's only redeeming feature was his refusal of Belladonna, otherwise he was an insufferable pain in his ass. The thought of him setting his sights on Anna-Maries left a bad taste in his mouth.

They were both considered to be the two most eligible bachelor's in New Orleans, hell, in the entire criminal underground. But, as an Assassin, the future Guildmaster no less, he ranked under LeBeau merely for the fact that he was the best at what he did. The precision he took in a kill was often scary as some had told him. Thus, LeBeau often pulled ahead of him where the ladies were concerned.

Anna-Marie was not just a beauty worthy of being at his side. She was incredibly invaluable with her one of a kind mutation. The possibilities alone were mind numbing. How Raven had managed to hide this jewel away for the last twenty years or so was astounding. Then there were her connections with SHIELD, The Guild had tried to get an in with the organization for years which could now be accomplished through her.

Julian turned to the radiant beauty on his arm as he lead her to her table on the other end of the room. "Save me a dance or two, petite." He said, flashing her a charming smile.

Her already brilliant green eyes brightened and her smile widened just a little bit more. "Ah'd love ta, sugar." She answered, her honey thick voice washing over him.

"Ah'll hold ya to that." He lifted her gloved hand to his lips and placed a gentlemanly kiss upon her knuckles. A faint pink blush lit her cheeks up as he left her to her table.

He'd be sure to keep an eye on her through the night and away from LeBeau.

A/N

Sorry for the delay but please leave a review!


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